Electronic management and distribution of legal information

Abstract

The invention provides systems, methods, and computer programs for fulfilling requests from users wanting current information related to legal or other topics designated by the users from lists of available topics. Information related to available topics is classified by type, and at least two types of information related to the designated topic(s) and/or type(s) are provided to the user. Optionally the information, when provided, is displayed on a computer display, or provided in other physical or electronic form, and is sorted according to the type or class of information to which the information belongs. The invention also provides for the gathering and making available of such information, and for the automatic updating of information in the selected legal or other professional topic(s) without intervention by the user on a periodic and/or continual basis.

I claim: 
     
       1. A system for providing legal information comprising associated items of legal information and content, the system comprising:
 at least one computer and a plurality of user terminals which communicate over a network; 
 at least one database associated with the at least one computer storing the legal information in association with a plurality of legal topics and a plurality of types of legal information; and 
 a computer readable medium or media storing programming that causes the at least one computer to:
 access within the at least one database a plurality of items of legal information responsive to a request received from a user terminal, each item of legal information being associated with one or more respective topic tags and one or more respective type tags, each topic tag identifying a legal topic or subtopic associated with the associated item of legal information and each type tag identifying a type of legal information corresponding to the associated item of legal information; 
 cause each item of legal information associated with the accessed information to be provided for display on a display device associated with the user terminal from which the request was received, automatically tabulated by the respective type tags and configured to be selectable at the user terminal to provide a request for display on the display device of the content associated with the selected item; 
 automatically and periodically access the at least one database to determine whether new legal information responsive to the request is stored within the at least one database while each item of legal information associated with the previously accessed legal information is provided for display on the display device; and 
 if new legal information responsive to the request is stored within the at least one database, provide for display on the display device each item of legal information associated with the new legal information, together with each item of legal information associated with the previously accessed legal information all tabulated by type. 
 
 
     
     
       2. A system for providing legal information comprising associated items of legal information and content, the system comprising:
 at least one computer and a plurality of user terminals which communicate over a network; 
 at least one database associated with the at least one computer storing the legal information in association with a plurality of legal topics and a plurality of types of legal information; and 
 a computer readable medium or media storing programming that causes the at least one computer to:
 access within the at least one database a plurality of items of legal information responsive to a request received from a user terminal, each item of legal information being associated with one or more respective topic tags and one or more respective type tags, each topic tag identifying a legal topic or subtopic associated with the associated item of legal information and each type tag identifying a type of legal information corresponding to the associated item of legal information; 
 cause each item of legal information associated with the accessed information to be provided for display on a display device associated with the user terminal from which the request was received, automatically tabulated by the respective type tags and configured to be selectable at the user terminal to provide a request for display on the display device of the content associated with the selected item; 
 automatically and continually access the at least one database to determine whether new legal information responsive to the request is stored within the at least one database while each item of legal information associated with the previously accessed legal information is provided for display on the display device; and 
 if new legal information responsive to the request is stored within the at least one database, provide for display on the display device each item of legal information associated with the new legal information, together with each item of legal information associated with the previously accessed legal information all tabulated by type. 
 
 
     
     
       3. A method of processing legal information, the method comprising:
 assigning to each of a plurality of documents which each comprises legal information relating to a plurality of legal topics at least one identifier associated with (a) at least one of the legal topics and (b) at least one of a plurality of types of legal information; 
 formatting the documents according to a protocol; 
 storing the formatted documents in at least one database; 
 checking formatted documents for compliance with a document receiving protocol; 
 generating a notice of defects automatically upon determination that a checked document does not comply with the protocol; 
 using identifiers associated with the stored documents to identify documents within the at least one database responsive to a request received from a user terminal for information related to at least one of the plurality of legal topics; and 
 causing legal information associated with the identified documents to be provided for display on the display device, automatically tabulated by type according to the identifiers associated with the respective identified documents. 
 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 3 , comprising automatically performing the assigning and formatting steps on the non-complying document. 
     
     
       5. A method for providing legal information comprising associated items of legal information and content in a system comprising at least one computer and a plurality of user terminals which communicate over a network, and at least one database associated with the at least one computer storing a plurality of items of legal information, each item of legal information being associated with one or more respective topic tags and one or more respective type tags, each topic tag identifying a legal topic or subtopic associated with the associated item of legal information and each type tag identifying a type of legal information corresponding to the associated item of legal information, the method comprising:
 the at least one computer accessing within the at least one database legal information responsive to a request from a user terminal; 
 the at least one computer providing for display on a display device associated with the user terminal from which the request was received each item of legal information associated with the accessed information, automatically tabulated by the respective type tag and configured to be selectable at the user terminal to provide a request for display on the display device of the content associated with the selected item; 
 the at least one computer providing for display on the display device content associated with a displayed item of legal information in response to selection thereof at the user terminal; 
 the at least one computer automatically and periodically accessing the at least one database to determine whether new legal information responsive to the request is stored within the at least one database while each item of legal information associated with the previously accessed legal information is provided for display on the display device; and 
 if new legal information responsive to the request is stored within the at least one database, the at least one computer providing for display on the display device each item of legal information associated with the new legal information together with each item of legal information associated with the previously accessed legal information all tabulated by type.